Cycle of Guatemalan Film at the 32nd Biennial of Graphic Arts

The cycle of eight documentary, fiction and short films shows three views of the turbulent history of Guatemala: The period of the Civil War, the postwar period and the experimental age of Guatemalan film. The selector of the cycle is Alberto Rodríguez Collía, a participating artist in the 32nd Biennial of Graphic Arts.

The viewing of the films is free of charge. There is one break with refreshments during the cycle.

THE DEVIL'S DREAM
Mary Ellen Davis, Canada, 1992, 68'
Combining lyricism, realism and irony, this documentary explores the soul of this paradoxical country. We discover not only the beauty of the landscape, the people and their creative imagination, but also the wretched conditions of life, the spectre of violence and a pervasive sense of the absurd.
Guatemala is a society split between native and non-native, rich and poor, civil and military. Those who dare to protest, risk their lives. In this documentary, the people tell the story in their own words.

GUATEMALAN CHRISTMAS
Luis Argeta, Guatemala, USA, 1976, 4'
In the middle of a house in ruins after the earthquake trembled, two women are preparing a ritual by killing a turkey. They proceed to serve its blood while we hear that a typewriter machine sound converts into a machine gun firing.

MY MOM RULES
Diego Sagastume, Guatemala, 2010, 13'
On a flat roof, a bored child wanders completely alone, lurking for anything that may be a source of entertainment. Anything will work to kill the time in an almost desperate loneliness driven by abandon.

ANATOMICALLY CORRECT
Evelyn Price and Loco González, Guatemala, 2016, 12'
This is a video that captures a non traditional theatre play that was performed in an abandoned house. Among the rubble, a woman erupts with a visceral monologue, crawls up the walls, slides on the floor trying to relieve herself of the pressure from a complicated existence lead by an oppressive society.

DUST
Julio Hernández Cordón, Guatemala, Spain, Chile, Germany, 2012, 80'
A married couple produce a documentary about women looking for their husbands and fathers who disappeared during the Guatemalan Civil War. Amongst them, they meet Delfina and her son Juan. After sixteen years, the woman continues to search for her husband. The ghost of Juan's disappeared father chases him constantly, until he finds himself in danger of his own life and those of others.

THE INTERTIDAL ZONE
Teatro de los Vagos, Guatemala, Salvador, 1980, 15'
A compromised teacher encourages his students to stand for what they believe in. We follow the courageous teacher in the period during the protests as he chats after class or grades students' papers alone in his quiet house. He lives close to the ocean, where the low tide sometimes reveals sombre surprises.

JOY VINCIO
Juan Brenner and Byron Mármol, Guatemala, 2011, 14'
Through an intricate, complex and stylish perception, ten stories from the 1990s in Guatemala are reinterpreted. Some stories had a profound impact on a generation, others, on just a single person. Teenage sex tapes, an aristocrat murderer, or a magician hiding his sexual preferences to his family, are among the stories.

ORELLANA'S FANTASY
Carlos Amorales, Mexico, 2013, 6'
Joaquín Orellana is a contemporary musician, his work spans for more than 50 years. He is renowned for creating very singular instruments that require a precise way of performing on them. He also had to create a new way of writing and reading music, a new method needed for a correct interpretation of his music. The vigorous and simplistic traces of this new alphabet, combined with its performance, remind of a beautiful choreographed dance.

Watch out! Wet print! #12

Ivian Kan Mujezinović, designer, photographer, member of the Ee Grupa design group, bass player and vocalist of the Čao Portorož music group. He is the recipient of many prizes and awards for providing integral design solutions,

Ivian Kan Mujezinović:Interference 3/1.

ŠVICARIJA: COMMUNITY, ART AND NATURE

8. 2. 2018–6. 1. 2019

Opening, 8 February, at 12 noon

TheŠvicarija: Community, Art and Nature project takes us through the prism of cultural history, architecture and visual art into the past of the building, revealing the recent renovations and presenting the activities of the artists working there. The multifaceted exhibition is complemented by a variety of educational activities for children, young people, adults and families with an inclusive, innovative and engaging approach to visitors. We are bringing Švicarija's heritage to the fore through lectures, guided tours, talks and other events, in such a way becoming a part of its new life.

Slovenian Cultural Holiday and Švicarija Creative Centre Day

Thursday, 8 February, 12.00–20.0012.00 Opening of the Švicarija: Community, Art and Nature project
Musical-visual backdrop: VJ Ticho Pixel.13.00 Viewing of the exhibition Švicarija: Community, Art and Nature with studio open day and socialising with the artists – studio users in the Švicarija Creative Centre.

The exhibition and studios will be open until 8 pm on that day.
Free of charge.

Photo: Jaka Babnik. MGLC Archive.

The Švicarija: Community, Art and Nature Project

Švicarija in Time and Space
(Theme-based Saturday public tours)

Maruša Zorec, Transformation of Švicarija in Ljubljana

Saturday, 17 February, at 4.30 pm, admission fee: 2 eur

The former hotel on the outskirts of the city has undergone countless transformations in over a hundred years of existence. At the guided tour we will see the most exciting corners of the building and get to know the different images of its transformation over time.